Back to EveryPatent.com
| United States Patent |
5,603,206
|
|
Horchler, Jr.
|
February 18, 1997
|
Round baler pickup shaft bearing protection apparatus
Abstract
A round baler having a frame, a baling chamber for forming cylindrical
packages of crop material mounted on the frame, a pickup for feeding crop
material into the chamber including a tubular rotatable shaft extending
transverse of the frame and concentric with a stationary shaft also
extending transverse of the frame. The tubular shaft is journalled via a
bearing assembly including a generally cylindrical stationary first race
and a concentrically disposed generally cylindrical rotatable second race
between which races a bearing cavity is formed for seating a series of
bearings housed between the first and second races. The first race is
affixed to the stationary shaft and the second race is rotatable relative
to the first race and affixed to the tubular shaft for rotating in concert
therewith relative to the first race. An annular shaped cover encloses the
cavity and has a first edge adjacent the stationary shaft. A holding
collar is fixedly disposed between the inner race and the annular cover,
which annular cover has an integral cylindrical portion contiguous with
the rotatable tubular shaft. A generally ring shaped sleeve extends
adjacent to the outer surface of the integral cylindrical portion to
maintain integrity of the bearing cavity against unwanted debris.
| Inventors:
|
Horchler, Jr.; Fred M. (Lancaster, PA)
|
| Assignee:
|
New Holland North America, Inc. (New Holland, PA)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
489667 |
| Filed:
|
June 12, 1995 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
56/341; 100/88 |
| Intern'l Class: |
A01F 015/07 |
| Field of Search: |
56/341
100/88,89
|
References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
| 1351481 | Aug., 1920 | Lister | 384/546.
|
| 2355805 | Aug., 1944 | Koepp | 384/484.
|
| 2827344 | Mar., 1958 | Maag | 384/484.
|
| 2873153 | Feb., 1959 | Haynie | 384/484.
|
| 3791287 | Feb., 1974 | Molitorisz | 100/89.
|
| 3974632 | Aug., 1976 | Van Der Lely | 56/341.
|
| 4198804 | Apr., 1980 | Konekamp | 100/89.
|
| 4336750 | Jun., 1982 | White et al. | 56/341.
|
| 4409783 | Oct., 1983 | Gaeddert | 56/341.
|
| 4581879 | Apr., 1986 | Anstey | 100/88.
|
| 4638623 | Jan., 1987 | Schaible et al. | 56/341.
|
| 5044272 | Sep., 1991 | Jennings | 100/89.
|
| 5193450 | Mar., 1993 | Anderson | 100/88.
|
| 5333516 | Aug., 1994 | Edwards et al. | 56/341.
|
| 5347801 | Sep., 1994 | McIlwain | 56/341.
|
| 5408801 | Apr., 1995 | McClure et al. | 100/88.
|
| 5448944 | Sep., 1995 | Line et al. | 100/88.
|
Primary Examiner: Melius; Terry Lee
Assistant Examiner: Beach; Thomas A.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Seemar; Frank A., Miller; Larry W., Stader; John W.
Claims
Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:
1. In a round baler having
a frame,
a baling chamber for forming cylindrical packages of crop material mounted
on said frame,
means for feeding crop material into the chamber including a tubular
rotatable shaft extending transverse of said frame and concentric with a
stationary shaft also extending transverse of said frame, and
journal means having a bearing assembly for mounting said tubular shaft,
said bearing assembly includes a generally cylindrical stationary first
race and a concentrically disposed generally cylindrical rotatable second
race between which races a bearing cavity is formed for seating a series
of bearings housed between said first and second races, said first race
affixed to said stationary shaft, said second race being rotatable
relative to said first race and affixed to said tubular shaft for rotating
in concert therewith relative to said first race, the improvement
comprising
an annular shaped cover enclosing said cavity and having a first edge
adjacent said stationary shaft,
holding means for preventing said bearing assembly from shifting axially,
said holding means comprising a locking collar affixed to said stationary
shaft between said inner race and said first edge of said annular cover,
said annular cover having an integral cylindrical portion continuous with
said rotatable tubular shaft, and
a generally ring shaped sleeve extending adjacent to the outer surface of
said integral cylindrical portion to maintain integrity of the bearing
cavity against unwanted debris by being spaced a sufficient distance to
permit relative friction free motion therebetween.
2. In a round baler as set forth in claim 1 wherein said improvement
further comprises resilient means disposed coaxial with said stationary
shaft between and in cooperative engagement with said locking collar and
said annular shaped cover.
3. In a round baler as set forth in claim 1 wherein said round baler
further comprises opposing fixed walls between which said stationary shaft
extends, and wherein said generally ring shaped sleeve is affixed to at
least one of said walls.
4. In a round baler as set forth in claim 3 wherein said improvement
further comprises resilient means disposed coaxial with said stationary
shaft between and in cooperative engagement with said locking collar and
said annular shaped cover.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to a baler for forming cylindrical bales
of crop material, commonly referred to as a round baler. More
particularly, this invention is directed to improved bearing protection
apparatus for a shaft in the baler pickup assembly.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Prior art balers of this type generally have a bale forming chamber defined
by an apron comprising an array of side-by-side belts, transverse slats
extending between chains, a plurality of bale forming rolls or a
combination of these various elements, e.g., bale forming rolls and
side-by-side belts. The utilization of rolls in combination with belts is
shown by way of example in the round baler of U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,272
issued Sep. 3, 1991 to Richard E. Jennings.
During field operation, a pickup assembly picks up crop material, such as
hay, from the ground and feeds it into a fixed or adjustable chamber where
it is rolled up to form a compact cylindrical package of hay. While still
inside the bale forming chamber the formed package is wrapped in its
compacted form by net, twine or the like, prior to being ejected as a bale
from the baler onto the ground for subsequent handling.
Round balers of the various configurations mentioned above commonly have a
pickup that feeds crop material along a path by means of tines that engage
a windrow of crop material on the ground. Other feed assist means such as
fingers may be used along the path to urge the material along. Pickup
assemblies have encountered problems of varying degree caused by stray
crop material and other debris, such as dirt, crop juices and dust, in the
bearing assemblies for the rotatable transverse shafts. When the crop
material being baled is damp, and particularly if it is a short cut of
grass crop, the fine random debris being agitated as it is being picked up
and formed into a cylindrical package also gives cause for concern. Field
experience has shown that costly bearing seals are necessary to prevent
such unwanted debris from working its way into the pickup assembly bearing
cavities. If permitted to go uncorrected, serious wear problems could
occur culminating in bearing failure.
A known attempt in the prior art to reduce or overcome this problem has
been successful but costly. This arrangement, shown in FIG. 1 of the
drawings, is described in detail hereinbelow.
In any attempted solution, maintaining the integrity of the bearing cavity
for long and continuous use in the field environment described above is a
key design criteria. As mentioned above, if debris is permitted to enter
the bearing cavity it will cause an unwanted affect on operation of the
bearing assembly and ultimate failure of the pickup, resulting in machine
downtime.
Although known prior art arrangements for preventing debris from entering
the bearing cavity of shaft mounting assemblies have met with varying
degrees of success, the root of the problem continues to be derived from
the environment in which the invention is used unwanted debris continually
exists, especially during long periods of operation of the pickup. When
this debris works past the known shielding devices and ultimately
penetrates the bearing seal it will cause bearing failure if uncorrected.
Thus, integrity of the debris shield over long periods of use is an
important aspect of reliable round baler performance to which the present
invention is devoted.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The most important object of the present invention is to provide a low cost
bearing assembly for use on a pickup feeder shaft for a round baler
without affecting the reliability and thereby maintain overall performance
characteristics by avoiding failure caused by the entry of unwanted debris
into the bearing cavity.
In pursuance of this and other important objects the present invention
provides for new and unique round baler apparatus having a frame, a baling
chamber for forming cylindrical packages of crop material mounted on the
frame, means for feeding crop material into the chamber including a
tubular rotatable shaft extending transverse of the frame and concentric
with a stationary shaft also extending transverse of the frame, and
journal means having a bearing assembly for mounting said tubular shaft,
the bearing assembly includes a generally cylindrical stationary first
race and a concentrically disposed generally cylindrical rotatable second
race between which races a bearing cavity is formed for seating a series
of bearings housed between the first and second races. The first race is
affixed to the stationary shaft and the second race is rotatable relative
to the first race and affixed to the tubular shaft for rotating in concert
therewith relative to the first race. More particularly, the present
invention contemplates an improvement providing an annular shaped cover
enclosing the cavity with a first edge adjacent the stationary shaft.
Holding means are also provided for preventing the bearing assembly from
shifting axially. The holding means is fixedly disposed between the inner
race and the annular cover. Still further, the annular cover has an
integral cylindrical portion contiguous with the rotatable tubular shaft
and a generally ring shaped sleeve extends adjacent to the outer surface
of the integral cylindrical portion to maintain integrity of the bearing
cavity against unwanted debris by being spaced a sufficient distance to
permit relative friction free motion therebetween.
The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention
will appear more fully hereinafter from a consideration of the detailed
description which follows, in conjunction with the accompanying sheets of
drawings wherein one principal embodiment of the invention is illustrated
by way of example. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the
drawings are for illustrative purposes and are not to be construed as
defining the limits of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a cross sectional side elevation view of prior art shaft bearing
protection apparatus.
FIG. 2 is a cross sectional side elevation of the shaft bearing protection
apparatus of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings for a more detailed description of the
preferred embodiment of the invention, FIG. 1 shows a prior art shaft
bearing protection arrangement used in the pickup assemblies of round
balers. A typical example of a round baler having a pickup for crop
material is disclosed in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,272 issued on Sep.
3, 1991 in the name of R. E. Jennings, hereby incorporated by reference.
For the purpose of the present invention, it should be understood that as
round balers of the type disclosed in the above referenced patent are
towed across a field by a tractor, pickup tines in a pickup assembly lift
crop material from the ground and feed it into a bale forming chamber in a
conventional manner. The crop material is conveyed in the chamber by a
series of inwardly facing moving surfaces such as belts or rollers where
it is coiled or randomly accumulated to form a cylindrical package of crop
material. During such formation, continued feeding of crop material into
the chamber is provided by a pickup assembly, the tines of which rotate to
continuously engage the crop material. When a full sized package has been
formed, the crop material is wrapped with a suitable material, such as
twine or net, and ejected onto the field, at which time the baler is again
ready to form another bale.
Now turning to the protection apparatus of the present invention, it will
be understood in light of the prior art and the above description that
during formation of a bale the hay is agitated and churned. In some
instances, especially in certain crop types and conditions, crop fines
have a tendency to accumulate in excessive amounts in the pickup area
below the throat of the chamber. To this end, the improved apparatus in
which the present invention is embodied, shown in FIG. 2, is operative to
prevent or significantly reduce the amount of debris that enter the
bearing cavity from this dusty and particle laden environment.
More specifically, FIG. 1 shows a shaft bearing protection arrangement
comprising a fixed shaft 10 mounted in mounting plate 11, about which
shaft a tubular shaft 12 is rotatably mounted by means of bearing assembly
13, consisting of outer race 14, inner race 15, and a series of ball
bearings 16. Shaft 10, which is machined over its entire length has inner
race 15 and hat shaped collar 17 affixed thereto, both of which are held
in axial relationship with mounting plate 11 by a series of spacers 18.
Tubular shaft 12 receives outer race 14 in a machined indentation on its
inner surface. Sealing washer 20 and holding washer 21 are held in place
by a machined dual level slot in the outer end of the inner surface of
tubular shaft 12. Completing the assembly is a seal cover 22 which is
force fit on the outer surface of the end of tubular shaft 12. Also shown
is cylindrical shaft element 23 secured to the inner surface of tubular
shaft 12 and rotatable therewith for the mounting of tines or the like to
engage crop material under conditions where the tubular shaft assembly
rotates about fixed shaft 10.
In FIG. 2, a simple and effective shaft bearing protective arrangement is
depicted which functions to protect a bearing cavity via the
implementation of a unique low cost assembly. A fixed shaft 24 is mounted
on mounting plate 25, about which shaft a tubular shaft 26 is rotatably
mounted by means of bearing assembly 27, consisting of outer race 28,
inner race 30, and a series of ball bearings 31. These elements function
in a manner similar to their counterparts in FIG. 1, i.e., tubular shaft
26 is rotatably mounted to rotate about concentric fixed shaft 24 fixedly
mounted in mounting plate 25. The improved bearing protection apparatus of
the present invention comprises conventional locking collar 32 which holds
inner race 30 in place without requiring a finely machined shaft surface
with dimension accurately sized to receive the race, as in the case of the
FIG. 1 prior art arrangement. The apparatus further comprises a resilient
sealing washer 33 held in place by a seal cover 34 which includes an
integral cylindrical flange portion 35 affixed to the end portion of the
outer surface of tubular shaft 26. Seal cover 34 also includes an integral
ring portion 36 that is in close proximity to the outer surface of fixed
shaft 24. Completing the apparatus is a cylindrically shaped sleeve 37
affixed to and extending from the inner surface of mounting plate 25.
Sleeve 37 is in close proximity to flange portion 35 to discourage the
entry of large particles of debris but at sufficient spacial relationship
to avoid engagement with tubular shaft 26 and seal cover 34 under
conditions where they rotate in concert about fixed shaft 24.
In operation, integrity of the bearing cavity is maintained by seal cover
34 which is maintained snugly against washer 33 to prevent intrusion of
unwanted debris that accumulates in the area of bearing assembly 27 during
operation of the pickup. Also contributing to the protective function is
sleeve 37 which interrupts the radial path of debris in the general
vicinity of the shaft bearing cavity being protected. Sleeve 37 is spaced
a sufficient distance to permit relative friction free motion between its
inner surface and the opposing surface of integral cylindrical portion 35.
While the preferred structure in which the principles of the present
invention have been incorporated is shown and described above, it is to be
understood that the invention is not to be limited to the particular
details, as shown and described above, but that, in fact, widely different
means may be employed in the practice of the broader aspects of the
invention. For example, although the preferred embodiment of the invention
is referred to as being adapted for use in a round baler environment in
which the chamber is defined by a series of belts and rolls, it is
contemplated that any type of round baler, regardless of chamber defining
means, whether an expandable or non-expandable chamber, could be improved
by the principles of this invention.
Top